Chauncey Parsons | Principal Dancer

Joined OBT in 2008 | Principal since 2009

Born in Santa Barbara, California, Chauncey Parsons began dancing at age 12, at the Santa Barbara Ballet Center, under Michelle Pearson and Denise Rinaldi. At 15, he was accepted into the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C., where he trained for three years under Vladimir Djouloukhadze. After graduating, he performed for the State Street Ballet, under Rodney Gustafson, for two years. In 2002, he joined the Colorado Ballet as a soloist under Martin Fredmann, and in 2004 was promoted to the rank of principal dancer. In 2008, he joined OBT as a soloist under Christopher Stowell, and was promoted to principal in 2009. Over the course of his career he has danced a wide variety of roles, including Basil in Don Quixote, Count Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Further, he has danced leading roles in Balanchine’s Rubies, Emeralds, Tarantella, The Nutcracker, and Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Michael Pink’s Dracula and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo, Nicolo Fonte’s Bolero and Never Stop Falling (In Love), Paul Taylor’s Company B, and others.